


Can't talk, I'm Dead

by sorryimacat



Category: Candle Cove
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:54:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22552099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorryimacat/pseuds/sorryimacat
Summary: Mara convinces Janice to play a swing game that will take them to another dimension. Janice plays but then quits, which is the first rule of the game. Janice leaves the playground, leaving Mara alone. Its after them.





	1. Melrose is mean

Janice unlocked the back door and ran out of the house, her big sister chasing her from behind. Jancie slammed the door behind her and kicked her shoes and socks off before running onto the road. Melrose burst open the door again and shouted, "You brat! No one deserves a sister like you! Because you're terrible at everything!" Melrose bent down and grabbed Janice's shoe and threw it at Janice. A large truck was zooming down the road in the distance. Jancie watched as the truck came closer to her like the speed of sound. Melrose's eyes widened, "Janice get out of the way, you idiot!" Melrose threw her little sister other shoe at her, "Move! Move!" Janice ducked into the ditch as the truck zoomed by, running over her shoes. Melrose held her breath the whole time, if Janice had been hit, it was all over for Melrose who is supposed to be babysitting her little sister. Once Melrose saw Janice loft her head up she exhaled relief. Melrose stormed towards Janice in the ditch. "Do you know how much trouble I'd be in right now if you would have gotten hit by that truck?" Melrose grabbed the collar of Janice's dress and dragged her back into the backyard.  
Janice sat in the backyard next to the doghouse where their dog, Sadie, slept peacefully curled into a little ball of black. Janice ran her fingers through Sadie's silky fur. The dog jerked her head up and looked at Janice before opening her mouth and yawned. Janice smiled as Sadie got up to stretch, it was entertaining. Dad's dark blue car drove into the driveway. Jancie shivered as Dad violently slammed the door shut, he obviously had a bad day at work. Janice felt her heart sink to her feet. She ignored him stomping up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door shut. It was around 6:30 when the sun started setting. Janice left Sadie outside to go back in. Janice quietly tipped toed up the stairs and politely knocked on Dad's door. Dad groaned loudly, "Whattt?" Janice took a deep breath in and out, "Can I go to the park? I know it's late and all-" Janice began but Dad cut her off, "I don't care, do what you want."  
Janice put her rubber boots on and went back outside through the back door. "You should come inside, Sadie." Janice told the dog, "It's gonna get chilly." Janice picked up the tiny dog and carried her to her bed next to the coat hanger by the front door. Janice turned around and walked back outside, closing the door behind her.


	2. The Swing Game

Janice's house was located in a very country-side neighbourhood. There wasn't a grocery store nearby, the closet one was all the way down town about 20 minutes away. But Janice didn't mind, at least she had a couple friends in the neighborhood and there was a decent playground. When Janice made it to the playground the sun was gone and it was cold. Mara was sitting in the sand pit all alone, Janice was shocked to see her here. "Hey, Mara. What are you doing here?" Jancie asked, she ran towards Mara. "I could ask you the same!" Mara seemed happy someone else was here with her. "My parents kicked me out of the house for the night. Third time they've done this. Last two times I went to Gloria's house but since we aren't friends I just came to the park this time." Mara explained. Janice frowned, "Why didn't you come to my house? Dad's been stressed lately but we could have played with Sadie." Janice sat next to Mara and examined what Mara was doing in the sand. It seemed Mara was drawing with a stick in the sand, Janice couldn't make out her chicken scratches, though. The park was located in the middle of the neighbourhood next to a supermarket that had been shut down a long time ago. There was a skating arena that nobody uses right behind the playground. To the right of the playground was a forest where there have been said to be a homeless gang living in that forest. But Janice has never seen anyone in those woods. She even has a special place in there called her Ship. It's a large rock with many more large rocks surrounding it. Mara and her like to play pretend pirates and sword fight with sticks to become the Captain of the ship. Mara usually wins because Janice isn't tough like her.   
"Well, you live kinda far from my house so I didn't choose you for that. If you lived closer like dumb Gloria I'd go to you." Mara explained, sort of rudely but Janice didn't say anything. "Alright, then." Janice changed the subject, "You wanna play on the swings?" Janice suggested. Mara nodded and stood up to go to the swing set. "You wanna play a swing game?" Mara asked Janice. "I'll explain it." Janice was interested. "So, basically, you have to go to any sort of swing set,like this one. You swing on it 30 times then stand up and jump off the swing and you'll be taken to a different dimension! If you fail or quit a thing will be after you till you get into the dimension. Wanna try?" Mara asked. Janice felt unsure about this, "Not really." Janice muttered. Mara was already sitting on a swing. "Don't be such a chicken, Janice. It'll be fun. I wanna play it so you have to, too!" Janice gave him and started swinging on the swing with Mara, who counted to 30. "Thirty!" Mara exclaimed and stood up on the swing, Janice didn't do it. Mara took a fall out of the swing and landed in the wood chips. Once Janice's swing went downwards she put both her feet down on the ground to slow the swing down to get off and help Mara. "Are you okay?" Janice asked. Mara nodded. "Why didn't you jump, Janice?! It's after us now!" Mara asked, her voice shaky and panicked. She grabbed the hair on the sides of her head and started panicking. "We need to keep trying now!" Mara scrambled back up and sat back down on the swing. Janice felt uneasy now, as if one million eyes were watching her, ready to pounce on her and bite her head off. Janice doesn't believe Mara. Nothing is gonna get them. "Mara. I'm gonna go home now…" Janice had her hands to her chest, she already started heading in the direction of the sidewalk. "No! I can't let anything happen to you, Janice!" Mara exclaimed, "The thing might get you!"   
Janice's sighed, frustrated, "there's no such thing as a 'Thing'. It's all make-believe!"   
"That what everyone says! It's not, you have to believe me, Janice!" Mara continued, "If I go missing by tomorrow, you know I made it to the other dimension. I hope you can make it to the dimension, too. Now go, if you want to."  
Jancie rolled her eyes and headed on her way home. She sang to herself on the way, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row."  
When Jancie made it home, the door was locked and the lights were all off. Jancie rang the doorbell, when she didn't hear anyone coming down the stairs she rang it a couple more times until she heard angry footsteps storming down the stairs. "For goodness sakes, Janice, I heard you the first time!"  
"How did you know it was me?" Janice asked.  
"Who else would ring the doorbell one thousand times!" Melrose shouted at her little sister.


	3. Oh No

The next morning the Police were at the Stewart's house. Mara had gone missing and Janice knew where she was. Deep down inside.  
"It must be a coincidence." Janice thought to herself. "They'll find Mara and we'll laugh it off."  
Janice explained that they were at the park last night hanging out. Janice mentioned the swing game but didn't mention the part about what Mara said before. They would never believe such silly childish play. Janice doesn't even believe it.  
"We'll keep that in mind." The Policewoman gave Janice a cheerful smile, "thank you all for your time." She looked around at Janice, Dad and Melrose. The Cops left and Dad shut the door when they were back in their blue cars.  
"I'm sorry about Mara." Dad put his hand on his daughter's back. "It must be tough hearing about the sudden news."  
"They'll find her." Janice said back, "Mara isn't hard to miss. Especially with her big mouth."  
Dad was only half paying attention. Melrose was already in the living room when Dad patted Janice's back and walked back up the stairs. Janice slowly walked into the living room, watching her feet carry her body. Melrose was already sitting in front of the television watching cartoons. Janice sat laid on the floor and just listened to them.


	4. Nightmares

"Bedtime, girls." Dad called out from the top of the stairs, "It's 8:30!"  
Melrose turned off the telly and grabbed her plate she ate her pizza on. Janice already put her plate in the sink a while ago.  
"Beat you upstairs." Melrose challenged Janice before booking it out of the living room.  
Janice started running right after her, she yelled, "You're cheating!"  
Melrose won the sudden race.  
"You cheated." Janice crossed her arms then stomped her foot. Melrose gave her sister a villainous smile before running into her bedroom.   
Hours later Janice finally fell asleep.   
She was standing in front of an abandoned house in a forest full of naked slender trees. Jancie was not afraid, she was only in a dream, after all. She jumped when she heard a rustle in the thorn bushes. The sky turned green and a howling wind brushed the earth.   
"A tornado!" Janice thought, "I need to get inside that house now."  
She ran into the blue house, collapsed on one side. Once Janice stepped into the house the wind slammed the door behind her. The house was a disaster, there were medicine bottles with expired pills still in them all over the floor. The trash was overflowing with dirty paper towels. The dishes were like flower pots except without beautiful flowers and plants grey mold spread across the yellow sink. The drawers and what used to be in them was also all over the floor.   
Janice woke up after that, processed it then fell back asleep. This time she never remembered her dream. But she had that other dream on her mind all day. When Janice walked down the stairs and looked at the front door then her eyes traced the floorboards and how familiar it seemed. She realized the messy house in her dream was actually her house. "Dreams take things from reality, you can't make up anything new in your dreams." Janice thought. "Where have I seen a trashed house before?" She then asked herself. Jancie couldn't think back to anything, "maybe a movie." Janice thought, "I've seen a lot of movies and shows."


	5. Mommy's diary

Today was Saturday, no school! Jancie already finished her homework this morning. A free weekend!  
Dad went off to work, Melrose was busy watching television. Janice decided to be a little rebellious…   
Daddy always told the girls to never go into his office. They could mess up his papers and he would lose some and everything would be a disaster. Janice just wanted to have a peek.   
She crept up the stairs.   
"Where are you going?" Melrose asked, giving Janice a heart attack.  
"To my room." Janice responded, it was a lie.  
Melrose tilted her head, "why?"  
"To get my colouring stuff…" Janice placed one hand on the railing and the other behind her back.   
"Your crayons are right here?" Melrose picked up Janice's big box of crayola crayons.  
"Oh, well I don't have any paper." Janice brushed her hair behind her ears.  
"There's paper in the kitchen." Melrose groaned.  
"I need to go to the bathroom!" Janice fled up the stairs, out of excuses.  
She didn't go into the bathroom, instead she silently tippy toed down the hall to the room right next to the closet where the towels are kept, along with the shampoo, conditioner and body wash bottles are also. Janice placed her hand on the door knob and turned it, her heart beating fast. She pushed on the door. The office was messy. Dad's office desk was in front of the window. The desk had white papers and bottles of booze scattered across it. Janice opened the drawer and saw a pretty pink hard cover notebook in it.  
"Why does Dad have this here? Is it his secret diary?" Janice whispered and examined it.   
"You aren't allowed to be in here!"  
Janice stuffed the book in her shirt and spun her head around. It was Melrose standing in the doorway, she hadn't seen what Janice was looking at, but he did have her hands on her hips and a stern look on her grumpy face.   
Janice didn't say anything.  
"If Dad found out about this he'd beat my butt and yours!" Melrose exclaimed, she sped walked towards Janice and grabbed her wrist and stormed out of the office and shut the door.   
Melrose shoved Janice into her room, "and stay there!"  
Janice didn't cry when she heard her door lock, instead she was excited. She could read what was in the book! Janice sat in her chair in the corner of the room and opened the notebook. 

My Mother says I need to write all my frustrations down instead of taking them off on other people at work.   
So, I sit here-

Janice turned the page, uncomfortable by the next words. The next page was boring, the writer started going on and on about her boyfriend named Calvin.  
"That's my dad's name!" Janice thought, "could this be my mom's diary?"  
Janice read the next pages, she felt closer to this woman she'd never met before. Although some pages were weird and about grownup things. She learned her mom's name was Annette, she worked as a waitress and was a big fan of this TV show Bewitched. Janice also learned that when Melrose was a baby she would play with her own stool. Janice wondered why the diary stopped just a year later when her mom says she's pregnant again. Jancie remembered then why her mom wasn't here. 

I'm pregnant again! I want to name it, if it's a girl, Jaydee. If it's a boy I'll name it Eddie! I'm gonna keep the chosen names a secret until I have it!


End file.
